Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin got a good grade on the way he runs elections in Louisiana. Sabine Parish’s own Joe R. Salter of Florien serves as his Chief of Staff, and I would think should take a lot of credit for the good report.

Secretary Ardoin is pleased to announce that Louisiana was ranked in the top 10 states for election integrity by the Heritage Foundation. The 2021 Election Integrity Scorecard, which was released in mid-December, ranks Louisiana seventh in the nation. Scores were calculated from 12 different categories, including voter ID implementation, absentee ballot management, vote counting practices and verification of citizenship.

“Louisiana is among the nation’s leaders when it comes to election integrity due to our agency’s sound procedures and best practices, along with our team of dedicated civil servants who work incredibly hard to ensure our elections run smoothly,” Ardoin said. “While we are proud to be named in the top 10, our goal is perfection, so we will continue working to improve our system. Louisianians deserve the most secure, accurate and transparent elections possible – we strive to make it easy to vote, but hard to cheat.”

Ardoin was recently designated as a Certified Elections/Registration Administrator (CERA), the nation’s highest professional achievement for election officials. This distinction is earned through a multi-year course conducted by the Election Center’s Professional Education Program at Auburn University.

The Heritage Foundation Election Integrity Scorecard compares states’ election laws that affect election security and integrity.

The Many Police Dept. and other law enforcement agencies are working hard on another Sabine cold case in hopes to solve the crime and make an arrest or arrests. Their efforts this time are focused on a 35-year-old unsolved murder.

“Rachel Leach was working in a convenience store when she was brutally murdered in 1986. She was stabbed multiple times,” Chief of Police Cheryl Wooley recounted to Observations on Tuesday. “The crime has gone unsolved although there are suspects in the brutal crime. Today, another step was taken in an effort to solve the crime. Her body was exhumed today for reasons of collecting forensic evidence.”

In charge of evidence collection at the gravesite were Many Police Detective/Sabine Parish Coroner Dr. Mark Holder and Dr. James Traylor, forensic pathologist with LSUMC-Ochsner in Shreveport.

The Chief stressed this is an open and ongoing investigation.

“The Sabine Parish District Attorney’s office is coordinating the investigation,” Chief Wooley reported. “[The] Many PD, the Coroner’s office, the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Attorney General’s office are all involved in the investigation,” she noted.

Kudos to Many PD and all other law enforcement entities who are working hard to solve this decades old murder of 20-year-old Rachel Sonnier Leach. We encourage anyone who may have information about the crime to contact Chief Wooley at the Many PD. She may be reached at (318) 256-4008 or (580) 380-3297.

Sabine Sheriff Aaron Mitchell announces the Felony Narcotics Arrests for the month of December 2021.

The Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT), Patrol Deputies and Detention Center staff were instrumental in these drug arrests and investigations.

Approximately six ounces of methamphetamine, two ounces of marijuana, three ounces of synthetic cannabinoids, Xanax and Hydrocodone pills, $500 in cash, and three firearms were taken off the streets last month.

Arrested were:

Christopher Delane Malmay, age 27, of Zwolle – Possession of Marijuana, Possession of schedule IV (Xanax), Aggravated assault with a motor vehicle upon a peace officer, Aggravated flight from an officer, Aggravated criminal damage to property, Resisting a police officer with force or violence, Reckless operation of a vehicle, Simple criminal damage to property, Intentional littering, No vehicle license, No vehicle insurance, Illegal window tint, and a warrant for Aggravated assault.

Prentice Ray Anderson Jr., age 53, of Zwolle – Possession of schedule I (Marijuana), Possession of schedule II (Meth), Driving under suspension, Expired MVI, and warrant for Failure to appear in court.

Donald Ray Sigler, age 56, of Florien – Possession of schedule II (Meth), Second or subsequent offenses, Driving under suspension, Swapped license plates, No vehicle insurance.

Wallace Remone Meshell, age 24, of Many – Possession with intent to distribute schedule II (Meth), Possession with intent to distribute schedule I (Marijuana), Second or subsequent offenses; Criminal conspiracy, Principal to Contraband in penal institutions prohibited, Possession with intent to distribute schedule II (Meth), Possession with intent to distribute Schedule I (Marijuana), Distribution of schedule IV (Xanax); A warrant for 3-counts of Distribution of schedule II (Meth).

John Michael Murphy, age 35, of Many – Criminal conspiracy, Attempted Contraband in penal institutions prohibited, Attempted Possession of Schedule II (Meth), Attempted Possession of schedule I (Marijuana).

Steven Edward Renois, age 35, of Converse – Criminal conspiracy, Attempted Contraband in penal institutions prohibited, Attempted Possession of Schedule II (Meth), Attempted Possession of schedule I (Marijuana).

Paul Eugene Smith, age 50, of Zwolle – Possession of schedule II (Meth), Possession of drug paraphernalia.

John Brady Corley, age 44, of Many – Possession of schedule II (Meth), Possession of drug paraphernalia.

(Special thanks to Det. D.W. Seegers for the above information.)

WE GET LETTERS:  Always love hearing from our friend Ronald Byrd of South Boston, VA. His email follows.

“Robert, I continue to be more and more impressed with your experiences with politicians and, in this case, musicians. I love Bluegrass and attended several festivals when I lived in Tallahassee and Birmingham. You are one lucky dog! LOL… well, maybe not a dog, but lucky for sure. And that mess with Dale Skinner was just stupid. We need school board people to get out of their ivory towers and do things with schools and teachers. Dale had his fingers on the pulse of Pleasant Hill High School by giving his time and expertise…and he was invited by the principal and coach! What is wrong with these people? Rhetorical… don’t bother to answer. Just random thoughts…

“…that lack of transparency by the School Board in rejecting Dale’s volunteer coaching at Pleasant Hill is really a sign of the times if his being a disciplinarian is the cause, something I read between the lines. Today’s snowflake athletes couldn’t have handled the heat of team discipline, which was common way back, and parents didn’t go whining to the School Board about supposedly mean coaches. Another sign of the times was the column about Darci Bass whose daughter was apparently murdered by a person who was then let out on bond by State District Judge Craig Mixson. I sympathize with her confronting the freed jerk who killed her daughter and then had the gall to have her arrested for harassing him. I’ll bet Sheriff Mitchell would have handled this situation with a bit more common sense, and her sister wouldn’t have been injured at the jail. This liberal catch and release insanity has resulted in similar tragedies across the country. In Harris County (Houston, TX) there have been 150 recent killings by 113 criminals already charged with capital murder who were allowed by liberal judges to be bonded out and thus free to continue their murderous ways. If I ran into a killer of my child, I’m not sure that I’d react any differently than did Darci. I hope that she was later released and had a tolerable Christmas despite Grinch Sheriff Maddox.”

Eight Sabine Parish Detention Center inmates along with two Deputies spent 128 hours cleaning along 97 miles of state highways in Sabine Parish during the month of December.

Two thousand twenty bags of trash were collected during this one month.

State highways worked included Hwy. 6 West, Hwy. 118 in the Peason area, Hwy. 120, Hwy. 175, Hwy. 191 from Toledo Town to Zwolle, Hwy. 473, Hwy. 474, Hwy. 482, Hwy. 1215 and Hwy. 1216.

Sheriff Aaron Mitchell encourages everyone to secure trash in their vehicles and to not litter. Deputies will issue citations to anyone caught littering anywhere in Sabine Parish.

(Special thanks to Det. D.W. Seegers for the above article.)

Sabine Parish Chief Deputy Brad Walker, wife Laura and family members rang in the New Year to the soulful sounds of Country star T. Graham Brown, who played a big New Year’s Eve show at the Dosey Doe Big Barn in The Woodlands, TX.

The Dosey Doe, a 165-year-old historical structure originally built as a tobacco barn in Kentucky has 300 to 600-year-old-growth oak and birch massive beams that not only provide the foundation for the structure’s events hall, but also supply great acoustics.

Americana artifacts from the late 1800s to the early 1900s fill the barn with its hand-hewn, 2000-pound beams, as does art and signage from years gone by. The place also prides itself on homemade comfort dinner foods to complement its intimate music experience.

Looks like a great place to spend New Year’s Eve, and looks like a great time was had by all!

When folks in Sabineland woke up Sunday morning, they found that a powerful cold front had blown in overnight. There was a bit of ice and snow around. Saturday had been a beautiful day, with a high reaching somewhere around 80. And the low temperatures will remain on for a few days. Wintertime is here.

SIGNS ALONG LIFE’S HIGHWAY

Saw these warning signs recently on display in Cozumel, Mexico.

Our own Mandy Cathey has done it again! Mandy Cathey Weddings was selected Shreveport/Bossier’s #1 Wedding Planner Expert by readers of SB Magazine, a slick monthly periodical published in Shreveport. The annual SB Magazine “Best Of” reports, “Mandy Cathey is hailed as an artistic visionary whose ability, uniquely creative talents and outstanding reputation have made her a tremendous success in the lifestyle arena.

“Mandy has created a name for herself by taking her passion for designing spectacular events and transforming it into a lifestyle. She continuously exceeds the expected with an unmatched level of inspiration, exquisite sense of style, attention to detail and ability to transform clients’ visions into unforgettable celebrations which has made her a go-to favorite wedding and event planner,” the article continued.

Mandy Cathey Weddings is another not-so-hidden treasure of Many, LA. We are thrilled her talents are being recognized far and wide. Congratulations to Mandy and all of her staff. You make us proud.

It has been reported to Observations that flowers put on graves in the Many Cemetery are being stolen almost as quickly as they are placed. Take Mary Beth Brocato for example: she put flowers on son Robert Brocato’s gravesite on Christmas Eve. The next day they were gone. Later she put flowers on the graves of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Adam Key. Three days later, they were gone. According to information we received, there have been other persons who have reported that their flowers are being taken. In addition, we also received reports that flowers have been taken off graves in the cemetery and placed on other graves there. 

We contacted Clauriste Byles, chairman of the Cemetery Committee, and he said awhile back he received a report of flowers being stolen, but had not received a report lately. Ms. Brocato said she is going to contact Many Chief of Police Cheryl Wooley and ask they patrol the area. And as a private citizen, if you see or know anything about the flower thefts, please contact the Police Department. This is terribly disrespectful to the gravesites and the families of the deceased. This needs to be brought to an end.

Cameras, cameras everywhere. And more coming. On Saturday, Jan. 1, the Zwolle Police Department received a notice of a burglary at E. B.’s Tamales. Upon their arrival, they found forced entry at the side door entrance. Camera footage was reviewed, and Jannoris Lynch was arrested. He was charged with simple burglary.

Be sure to look for lagniappe Observations this Friday detailing the career of recently retired Sabine Supt. of Schools Dr. Sara Ebarb. She’s had an interesting ride.

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